Random Thoughts....

I posted some new photos on my photo blog. This is my new favorite building. I don't know what it is, but it was built in 1914, and is on the corner of Av. Belgrano and Peru. The outside is covered with massive stone figures (each one different) holding up the building. There is lots of deco decoration and gargoyles flying around the top. It is a wonderful example of architecture as fantasy. I'd love to see what it is like inside.

And now some things I've been thinking that have nothing to do with anything...

The US has been hit by some pretty bad hurricanes, not to mention poor, poor, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba - countries that don't need another disaster. After so many recent disasters in the US, some right-wing nut job has gone on record saying that it was God's retribution for something related to gays (blaming the gays always gets people to go to church). I wonder what they are saying now that Texas was hit. As far as I know, there are no gays in Texas. Could it be that God is suddenly a Democrat and is striking back at Texas for giving us George W. Bush? I, of course, am just joking, and don't believe that if there is a God, he would send massive storms to punish people. Instead, I think that these hurricanes are examples of the super storms we are going to see more and more of if we don't get serious about global warming. Maybe if a few red states get wiped off the map, Republicans will finally stop arguing with science and do something!

Apologies go a long way. Yesterday as I was walking through the San Telmo street fair, a place with lots of people walking and browsing and lots of things to see, I slowed down to look at the wares of one of the vendors and felt and intense pain above my right heel. A woman behind me was pushing a cart with termoses on top, I guess selling coffee. It was like one of those shopping carts that people use to carry their groceries home except that in the front it didn't have wheels, just metal spikes. That is what she hit me with. I turned around to see what happened and she just looked at me and didn't offer any apology. As I started walking again, and she moved in right behind me, I moved out of the way so that she would be in front, rather than behind me.

When I got home, I went to the chino and bought wine, a bottle of water and three potatoes for my lentil stew. I then went to the Disco and got chorizo and panceta and a few other things. When I started assembling the stew and reached into the bag for the potatoes, they were not there. I searched all over and came to the conclusion that the guy at the chino didn't put them in my bag.

I went back and he was over in the produce section. I told him, "I was here about a half hour ago and bought wine, water and three potatoes, but I don't know where the potatoes are" - without saying a word, he reached over and grabbed the little plastic bag with the potatoes and handed them to me, with an attitude even (it seemed) - no apology.

Come one people, apologize. It's a nice thing to say I'm sorry!

Smoking makes you ugly.

I've been noticing that all of these older women who sit outside and smoke cigarettes, and have probably been smoking for years, have really horribly old and wrinkled skin. I don't think it's because they spend a lot of time out in the sun, or because Buenos Aires has an unusually dry climate, so it must be the cigarettes. I do wish they would do something about smoking here, like raise taxes on cigarettes, and clean up some of the air polution. I'm going to start calling this place Malos Aires instead (Bad Airs). If you smoke and don't care about lung cancer, think about what it will do to your skin!

Sarah Palin is really scary. I can't believe she actually said in an interview that she is qualified to be President of the United States because you can see Russia from an island in Alaska! I think people who say dumb shit like that need to be automatically disqualified.

I hope everyone has an illuminated day!